I’m Douglas Gertner, a senior studying Economics at NYU Florence. I spent my whole life living in Montclair, New Jersey, which is an easy 30-minute commute to New York City. My hometown itself is considered a diverse and progressive city. I have always been under the impression that living in the New York metropolitan area for 20 years presented me with all the diversity that I needed. Throughout my childhood I had been exposed to different kinds of diversity - socio economic, cultural, and ethnic -  in my community. Due to my upbringing, combined with the three years spent studying in the melting pot of New York City, I thought I would be one of the more culturally aware students at NYU Florence. I quickly learned that I was mistaken.

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"Whether it be in Rome, Naples, or right here in Florence, when meeting local people in their own environment, I feel a stronger connection to their culture - the culture that shapes them and their community."

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Two months ago, I arrived in Florence to begin my final year of college. I have since been to seven different countries and countless cities. I have met people from many religious, ethnic, and geographical backgrounds. As an NYU student, I was already blessed with the ability to meet people from all over the world. However, upon arriving in Italy, I immediately noticed a difference when meeting people from a foreign background. When meeting these students in New York, I was meeting foreign students as they tried to adapt to the New York environment.

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Since being abroad, I have been able to encounter people in their own context, more accurately capturing the rich culture that they come from. Whether it be in Rome, Naples, or right here in Florence, when meeting local people in their own environment, I feel a stronger connection to their culture - the culture that shapes them and their community. This opened my eyes to the difference between the local perspective versus the global perspective of a student. I am immersing myself in diversity on a scale that I have never fathomed.

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"A students’ viewpoint that his or her city, region or academic institution is the focal point of cultural education is exactly what’s detrimental to one’s education."

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These past two months have taught me that I have been living in a cultural bubble for the past 20 years of my life. The most important element of this growth is seeing how small we actually are when put on a global scale. I had been attending NYU in New York City with the mindset that I’m at the center of education. And why wouldn’t I think this? It is one of the biggest universities in one of the biggest cities in the world.

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However this semester abroad has taught me that NYU is only a single academic hub. A students’ viewpoint that his or her city, region or academic institution is the focal point of cultural education is exactly what’s detrimental to one’s education. There are academic hubs across the world, with students who have their own raw, unfiltered, and rich culture. Day by day, class by class, semester by semester, we are bridging the gap between these academic centers, these students, and these diverse cultures to progress towards a unified global youth.